Price of 16oz Pack Bread Goes Up

As of today, the controlled price of a sixteen-ounce loaf of bread is up by thirty-five cents. The wholesale cost now stands at one dollar and eighty-five cents, while the retail cost now stands at two dollars and ten cents. But it is not the only bakery product that is seeing a hike in the price. Products such as burger bread, hot dog bread and dinner rolls will also see an increase. It is a decision that the majority stakeholders of bakeries across the country say had to be made, because the cost of raw materials and packaging have increased by eight percent. News Five’s Paul Lopez took a closer look at the price increase, by speaking with residents, stakeholders and one government agency that had the final say on these increases. Here is that report.

Paul Lopez reporting

The retail cost of a sixteen-ounce pack bread has gone up by thirty-five cents. Lennox Nicholson is the Controller of Supplies in the Supplies Control Unit.

Lennox Nicholson, Controller of Supplies, Supplies Control Unit

The final decision was taken to increase the price for the sixteen-ounce slice bread by thirty-five cents which will take the retail price that the consumer pays at the grocery store to one dollar and ten cents. The rationale for it is because the bakers have provided us with substantial information as to their cost of production.

 

Anthony Nicholas, Belize City Resident

My thing about it is that we dah poor people. Deh have to understand, the government have to understand how poor people have to survive.

It is the most affordable bread option on grocery shelves across the country. But as of today, consumers will have to dig a bit deeper to purchase a pack of sixteen-ounce bread.

 

Phillip “Fada” Henry, Belize City Resident

Can I take a moment of silence? I guess we just had a moment of silence. It is ridiculous for the fact that Belize has a huge amount of poverty and for both political parties that form government in Belize, we have ups and downs with both of them, but now it has gotten to the point with it gets to the bread. Families can’t even afford the ramen and when it comes to the bread that we were paying one seventy-five for you are talking about raising. I think the prime minister needs to go to the drawing board ASAP.

But it is not solely a government decision. In fact, bakers across the country have been clamoring for a wholesale price increase over the last two years. The Belize Bakers Association initially proposed a seventy-five-cent increase. After lengthy negotiations with the government, a price increase of thirty-five cents was agreed upon. We spoke with an association representative over the phone.

On the phone: Vic Chu, Representative, Belize Bakers Association

We suggested an increase of seventy-five cents

Paul Lopez

And what we got was

On the phone: Vic Chu

Thirty-five cents. The entire association is feeling a bit disappointed, because the price of the pack bread for the sixteen ounce has not been adjusted since 2008. When the price of the plastic bag, the butane price or the gas price for the gas, for the delivery was very low, and also the flour price and sugar.

Lennox Nicholson

 It is something we have been grappling with at least since April of 2022 when we were first engaged to look at the control price for the sixteen ounce slice bread. In that time the government had taken decision to subsidize the sector, in the first instance to the tune of one point five million dollars and a further subsidy of some four hundred thousand was actually issued to that sector with a view to maintain that price to where it had been for some time. All of those resources have been disbursed to the sector and those programs have come to an end.

According to Chu, bakers are still underpricing their products even with the thirty-five cents increase, because almost two decades have passed without a price adjustment. And it’s not only the sixteen-ounce pack bread that is seeing an increase in price. According to Chu, other bakery products on grocery shelves will be seeing an increase of at least ten cents.

On the phone: Vic Chu

This increase is helping us to keep us momentarily break for the moment. It helps us to relieve a little bit of pressure because we also have to take into consideration that labor has also increased at the beginning of this year to five dollar and hour. After consideration the public reactions the entire industry made just a slight adjustment on the other category of the bread to a ten cents increase. The other categories are for example the burger bread, the hot dog, the polvo round.

Anthony Nicholas, Belize City Resident

People buy pack bread everyday cause dah everyday we need to eat and that is one for the cheaper options, sausage and pack bread so we cant go wrong with that brother.

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez